Collapsible wardrobe cabinet



Feb. 15, 1944. 2r; BLECHMAN COLLAPSIBLE WARDROBE CABINET Filed Oct. 23, 1941 F'IG. l.

Patented Feb. 15, 1944 UNITED STATE Sv PATEN T F F l C E 2,341,899 COLLAPSIBLE WARDROBE CABINET .IrvingBlechmam New York, N. Y. Application October 23, 1941, Serial No. 416,169 2 Claims. (Cl. S12-144) This invention relates to light-weight and `inexpensive wardrobe cabinets adapted to be shipped in collapsed form and to be easily ,brought up into nal usable form by the householder. In one form of the invention the .door `and door frame construction is employed as the primary rigid connecting vmember for foldable sections and the doors are formed and mounted in a novel manner. In such case the door and door frame assembly constitutes a unit brought into position and rigidly holding the side walls of the structure when the elements are assembled. The side walls themselves are longitudinally collapsible and all of the units are connected for shipment, the final setting-up being accomplished by moving the sections of the side walls outwardly in straight line formation and swinging over upon them flanged top and bottom members which are stapled in position. By such arrangement the operations of setting-up are made very simple and the device is ideally adapted for the purpose for which it is designed. A unique shelving unit is provided comprising unitary foldable member of scored cardboard reinforced at certain points. These and other features of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view in elevation of the structure of Figure 2 in collapsed condition ready for shipment.

Figure 2 is a perspective View of a structure similar to that shown in Figure 1, and in assembled position with the doors open, the side walls being vertically scored, each for folding into two sections and one side of the interior receiving my novel shelving arrangement.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3*-3 2 Figure 4 is a reduced vertical section generally in the line 4 4, Figure 2.

Referring to the drawing, I have shown therein a foldable body unit of corrugated cardboard or the like and comprising back wall I and side walls I6, longitudinally foldable on the scored lines S. Foldably secured to Ithe back wall is a top unit 3 having side flanges 3x and a rear flange connected to the back wall by staples or the like. Also carried by the back wall is the upwardly eX- tending ange of a bottom unit 4 having side flanges 4x. When the top and bottom walls are brought into contact with the edges of the side walls so that the flanges 3a: and 4:1: overlap the latter, staples such as indicated at 5 may be employed to connect said units. It is desirable that apertures be formed in the iianges and side walls to receive such staples or similar fastening means.

Following the above procedure, the door and door frame assemblyis moved into position and secured in place, completing `the set-up. The door frame comprises a 'bottom rail or bar 6, a top rail 'I and side rails 8 rigidly secured to the top and bottom rails. The frame is further reinforced by a central vertical rail 9. As shown in Figure 12, the side rails 8 may each be formed with a vertical channel to receive the front margin of the appropriate side wall and be secured thereto by nails or glue. By such means the side walls are held together at their front areas and the entire assembly is made strong and rigid.

The doors are of unique construction, being exceedingly simple in form and yet having easy hinge action. Each door comprises a sheet of corrugated cardboard or the like, illustrated at I I, one margin thereof being inserted in a groove or channel formed in the appropriate side rail 8 of the frame and grooved or otherwise secured in position. I have found that by deeply scoring the cardboard near and longitudinally with respect to the carrying frame member, no additional hinge arrangement is required. Each door member has at its inner vertical margin a vertical channeled strip of wood, indicated at I2, the cardboard sheet II being inserted in the channelway of its appropriate member I 2 and glued or otherwise secured in position. Each member I2 may be provided with a handle I3 and, if desired, latching means may be provided. I prefer that the inner margin of each member I2 be incu-t to provide a lapping face for the central rail 9 of the frame, as indicated more particularly in Figure 3.

The entire assembly may be shipped in connected form and collapsed flat, as indicated in Figures 2 and 3. The setting-up operation, which can be very easily performed by the householder, merely requires swinging over into horizontal position of the top member 3 and like action with respect to the bottom member 4, and moving outwardly the accordion-like formation of each inwardly folded side wall. In such latter movement, the rigid frame will be carried forwardly and the back wall rearwardly. Thereupon-the anges 3x and 4a: of the top and bottom walls may be folded over in lapped relation to the side walls and secured thereto by the staples 5, which completes the setting-up.

I have illustrated a novel form of shelving. It consists of a cardboard unitary sheet folded upon itself at F, its outer sections being folded horizontally to provide horizontal shelves I'I and I8 which may be reinforced by light wooden strips I9. The ends of shelves I1, I8 may be supported upon the rigid frame members, either by pins underlying members I'I and I8, as shown at 20, Figure 13, the pins being carried by the central rail 9 and one of the rails 8; or the pins may enter apertures formed in the front Wooden strips I9 Which reinforce the horizontal shelf members, as indicated in Figure 11.

Inasmuch as the shelving, except as to the reinforcing light strips of Wood when used, is formed of a unitary piece of corrugated cardboard or the like, scored to fold in flat form, and is provided with its own support at the rear of the cabinet, requiring only pin support to the frame, the arrangement is very simple and effective.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows: I

:1. In a collapsible flat-folding wardrobe cabinet, back and side Walls comprising a unitary sheet having spaced lines of fold, unitary top and bottom members having marginal anges secured to end marginsof said sheet, said top and bottom members vbeing hingeably related to the back Wall a rigid connecting frame and swingable door secured thereto, opposed doors each having a lateral margin received within a channelway formed in one of said side rails and having a vertical scored line of fold exterior said rail, each side rail being adapted to receive a side Wall iront margin, and a collapsible shelving comprising a unitary shelving sheet having transverse lines of fold spaced from its ends substantially equivalent to the depth of the cabinet and having a line of fold intermediate said rst recited lines of fold to form a two-ply rest for the shelving extending vertically and adjacent .the back Wall when the ends of said sheet are folded in horizontal position and in parallelism, a vertical rail intermediate the side rails, and spaced sets of horizontal supports carried by one side rail and the intermediate rail to receive the horizontal ends of the shelving sheet, the shelving sheet being conned between said rails and the back wall of the cabinet 2. In a collapsible flat-folding wardrobe cablnet, a unitary folded sheet shelving assembly constructed in accordance with claim 1, in combination with ymarginal strip-reinforcing means for the loldable ends of the sheet, said ends constituting shelves, and means carried by vertical members of the cabinet for engagement with said strip-reinforcing means to support said shelves Y IRVING BLECHMAN. 

